Cable winding mechanism



B. FITCH 2,063,912

CA BLE WINDING MECHANI SM Dec. 15, 1936.

Original Filed Jan. 24, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Q N w Fig. 1

Dec. 15, 1936. B. F. FlTcH CABLE WINDING MECHANISM Original Filed Jan. 24, 19:54 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mmxzw JEM/ Patented Dec. 15, 1936 UNITED STATES" CABLE WINDING MECHANIS M Benjamin F. Fitch, Greenwich, Conn, assignor to Motor Terminals Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware" Original application January 24, 1934, Serial No.

708,125. Divided and this applicationSeptember 13, 1934, Serial No. 743,869

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a cable winding drum having effective reduction driving gearing associated with it. Such winding mechanism has been particularly designed for mounting in a traveling crane to operate cables adapted to lift demountable automobile bodies or freight containers with their loads. When so embodied the crane has four raising cables depending in regions corresponding to the four corners of a rectangle, so that such cablesmay be readily attached to a demountable body or to a floating rectangular cradle which is attached to the body at four points, two on each side, to enable the level transference of the body between different vehicles or between a vehicle and a station platform or other support.

My cable winding drum has been designedto accommodate two cables, and thus by providing in the hoist frame two of these drums suitably geared with a common driving motor, I am enabled by the one motor to operate four cables, which latter are suitably guided so that they depend in position to engage the cradle or the body at the four spaced points desired.

It is an object of my invention to provide the winding drum mechanism in a form which shall be compact and require little space in the crane and at the same time may be powerful,;containing within itself reduction gearing so that a heavy load may be readily lifted.

To the above end I provide by thismechanism a cable drum loosely mounted on a shaft which is journalled in standards at the ends of-the drum. Each standard carries an internal gear with which mesh planets carried by the drum, and these planets mesh with sun gears on the shaft. Suitable gearing connects the shaft with the driving motor, this gearing preferably includinga worm and worm wheel, so that the mechanism is self-locking.

I have illustrated herein two of my cable winding drums mounted in a traveling crane, each drum operating two raising cables. Such mechanism is hereinafter more fully described and the essential features of the invention are summarized in the claims.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan of a traveling crane embodying my cable winding drums; Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section thereof as'indicated by the line 2-2 on Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is avertical axial section through one of the cable winding drums; Fig. 4-is a section through this cable winding mechanism at right angles to Fig. 3, as indicated by the line 44 on Fig. 3.

Referring first to the crane construction shown in Figs. 1 and- 2, it will be seen that as shown it comprises a rectangular framework, comprising two side members I0 and two endmembers l2 and four intermediate members l3 and I4 parallel with the end members. Between the end members [2 and the adjacent members I3 I have shown wheels 15, supported by hearings on such members and adapted to ride on supporting rails 20 on a suitable bridge (not shown).

There are four wheels [5, one substantially in each corner of the rectangle forming the frame work. Two of these wheels, one on each track 20, furnish the driving means for the frame across the bridge. A motor 30, through suitable worm gearing 3l and bevel gearing 32 may drive a shaft 35, extending across the frame and provided with pinions 36 which engage gears 31 on the wheels l5 to drive the wheels as the motor 30 is electrically excited.

1 To reduce the: bending moment set up in the side members lflby the weight of the cradle and its load, as well asthe weight of the mechanism in the frame, it is desirable'to mount cable drums and pulley sheaves as close to the wheels l5 as possible. Thus, the cross members l3 and [4, parallel tothe members I2, form'a nest in which the various mechanisms of the frame may be placed, includingthe motor and the gearing necessary to drive the wheels I5.

. My invention utilizes but two drums to drive four, cables. ,These drums 40 are driven by an electric motor 4!, through a shaft 42, and suitable worm reduction gearing and bevel gearing 43 and 44. These-drumaas shown in Fig. 2, are carriedby frame standards 45" resting on plates 46' secured to; the corresponding frame girders I3 and l 4. The bevel gears are mounted on shafts 50 journalled in the members 45 and geared- ;with the drums 40,- as about to be explained. V V

The two standards45 for each drum are nearly alike. Each has a foot portion by which itmay I beattached to a supporting plate 46 and an upright disc-like part containing a circular recess 41. Adjacent-the axis are hollow hubs 48, one of which is preferably open and the other closed, as shown in Fig. 3;

The drum shaft 50 is mounted in roller bearings within the two hubs 48. It extends out throughthe openhub and there carries the bevel gear .44 heretofore mentioned. Located withinthe circular; recesses fhare a pair of sun pinions 5|, keyed to the shaft 50. Each of these" pinions meshes with several planet gears 52 carried by the drum ends. I have shown four of these planets; each has an integral stud 53 by which it is rotatably journalled on the drum end. The planet gears in their outer regions mesh with internal gears 55 formed on the inner periphery of the recess 41 of the standards, as shown in Fig. 4.

It will be seen that with such a planetary gear system as described, the shaft 50, as it rotates, crowds the planetary pinions at their inner regions while the stationary internal gear forms a reaction member at the outer ends of the pinions, and accordingly a reduced rotation is given to the drum 40. By providing the double set of sun and planet gears at each end of the drum a heavy load may be overcome with comparatively small-size pinions and gears. The sun and planets and internal gear being all housed within the recess of the standard may be kept well greased.

As the gearing 43 and 44 is substantially the same for both drums 40, it is apparent that the rotative speed of the one will be equal to that of the other. One worm is preferably right-hand and the other left-hand, so that the two drums rotate in the same direction. By the use of a worm reduction gearing system, it is possible to have a self-locking drive.

Two cables are mounted on each drum. One of the cables 6%] depends directly downward from the drum to the load engaging device and the other cable 65 passes horizontally over a guide sheave and then downwardly. Each cable may embrace a floating sheave connected to the load and then retracing its path upwardly until it is anchored on the frame as at 66 and 61, Fig. 2. The cables 65 cross the crane frame to the nesting pocket between the other pair of members l3 and I4, and there pass over sheaves 10, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and then descend to the load engaging device.

The sheaves 70 might be on fixed axes, but I prefer to make them shiftable transversely of the crane. Accordingly, as the end of the automobile body supported beneath the cable winding drum is raised or lowered and thus swings slightly as the directly depending cables wind on or off the drums, this may be compensated for by shifting the sheaves 70 substantially axially. On the other hand, it is sometimes desired to have the cables depend out of strict rectangular positioning to coact with a body which stands slightly askew with reference to the crane, and the same shifting mechanism for the sheaves 10 allows a similar skewing of the cables to be readily effected.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the sheaves 10 are mounted in carriages ll, adapted to move as a unit with respect to the crane frame. Thus, the carriage, which not only carries the sheave 10, but the cable fastening 61, is mounted on suitable rollers. These rollers are of two kinds; thus, there are rollers I2 mounted to bear against arcuate tracks 13, and rollers 14 slightly tapered and adapted to ride on a frame plate 75. The taper of these rollers is such that their sides extended would meet at a point substantially at the corresponding drum 40. The radius of curvature of the tracks 13 also centers at the drum. Thus, when the carriages H are moved relative to the crane frame, there is no change in the length of the cables 65 lying between the sheaves 10 and the drums 40, and accordingly the sheaves 10 may be readily moved with respect to the frame, without changing the elevation of the supported body.

The movable sheaves are adapted to be moved in unison. The two sheave frames H are connected by links to a nut 8| on a threaded rod 82, journalled in the crane frame. Mounted on one end of this rod is the bevel pinion 85, which engages a mating pinion connected by worm reduction gearing 81 to a motor 88. Thus, when the motor is electrically excited, the resulting rotation of the screw shaft 82 moves the sheave carriages H in one direction or the other.

As heretofore stated, the four raising cables might be attached directly to a demountable body, or they may be attached to a suitable cradle adapted to be anchored to the body. I have not shown any body or cradle in the drawings, but I have shown each cable depending in a loop, the free end of the cable being anchored to a support at one side of one of the winding drum standards. It is apparent that these loops may readily pass about floating sheaves suitably connected to the load.

The present application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 708,125, filed January 24th, 1934, which is concerned with the crane mechanism. That application shows a cradle having sheaves in the loops of the depending raising cables, and reference is made to it for a further description of such cradle, if desired.

It will be seen from the description given that my self-contained and powerful raising mechanism is readily adapted for mounting in an effective traveling crane and for coupling with another similar raising mechanism to actuate simultaneously four raising cables suitable for lifting a demountable automobile body. The cable winding mechanism itself, as well as the trolleying and weaving mechanisms of the traveling crane if employed require comparatively little head room, the depth of the whole mechanism being only slightly greater than that required for the side beams of the requisite length.

I claim:

1. The combination of a crane frame, two cable winding drums, a shaft supporting each drum, planetary gearing between each shaft and the corresponding drum, a driving motor and self-locking gearing between said motor and each shaft, whereby the drums may be operated as a unit and the cables leading therefrom locked at all points of rotation of the drum.

2. A crane having a pair of parallel horizontal beams, a plate connected to said beams, a pair of standards mounted on said plate between the beams, a shaft in said standards, a cable drum loose on .the shaft, a pinion on the shaft, a planetary gear on the drum meshing with the pinion, and a stationary internal gear carried by the standard meshing with the planetary gear.

3. The combination of a pair of parallel standards each having a recess in its inner face, a shaft journalled in said standards, a drum between the standards having mutually rigid end walls loosely surrounding the shaft and having its ends adja cent the recesses, pinions on the shaft beyond the ends of the drum occupying the two recesses, planetary gears in the recesses and rotatably mounted on the end walls of the drum and held in axial position by the end surfaces of the recesses, and internal gears stationarily carried in the recesses and engaging the planets.

BENJAMIN F. FITCH. 

